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My Daughter (who Is 4 Years Old), Was At The

Posted on Mon, 31 Dec 2018

Question: My daughter (who is 4 years old), was at the dentist today and had crowns placed on two molars. I was allowed back with her, and at the beginning of the procedure, after the dentist placed the lidocaine/epi injections, he began drilling on the first tooth very quickly after the injection, and she was in so much pain she screamed at the top of her lungs. She did not scream this way on the second tooth. The explanation I was given is that "young children process any sensation as pain", but I wanted a second opinion on what happened, as I am rather traumatized and wondering if I should find a new dentist for her.

I know that I need more time than clinicians think is necessary for lidocaine to work, but because I'm an adult, they will wait an extra few minutes until I can tell them I'm numb. Because she is a child, however, I feel like her pain is being ignored by this dentist's office, so I wanted to ask for a different opinion on the explanation I was given.

Answered by Dr. Neha Sumra (33 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
She might have not be numb when he started or its due to vibrations

Detailed Answer:
Hi there,

Thanks for writing in.

As per your concern, there are two possibilities either she wasn’t numb completely when the treatment started or she might have been feeling the vibrations of the handpiece. I would like to tell you that child management is the most important task while treating the kids. The dentist needs to familiarise the kid with the instruments and procedure he is going to perform. I am wondering whether its her first experience and was she informed about everything before starting. If yes, then she might be having pain and couldn’t explain otherwise it might be a fear of new experience.
If you have got her x-rays, then i can let you know about the tooth condition in detail.

Hope I have answered you query.

Please let me know if you have any further concerns.

Thanks & Regards
Dr. Neha Sumra

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Neha Sumra (32 hours later)

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, this is not her first experience with dental work or the dental drill, though this particular dentist has never shown much interest in the patient management required to build a rapport with my daughter. (Yet he works in a child-focused practice.)

The combination of his lack of "bedside manner" and this incident has led us to make the decision to find a different dentist for her. I appreciate your help, and I hope the winter holidays find you well.

Answered by Dr. Neha Sumra (22 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
If your daughter is not not comfortable then change the dentist

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Thanks for getting back to me.

Child management is the most important and hardest part in treating kids. If her dentist is not good in child management then its better to change the dentist. Moreover, you need to discuss this experience with new dentist to help her in getting good experience.

Hope I have answered your query.

Wishing you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Thanks & Regards
Dr. Neha Sumra

Note: Find out which dental treatment will work best for your teeth. Ask here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Remy Koshy